Nice & Wavy
Well-Known Member
"All that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned
it to dry land."
Exodus 14: 21 (NIV)
Do you feel alone?
Does God feel far away?
Does life seem dark - are you afraid?
At one point in my life, I answered "yes" to each of these questions. Following a tragic incident in my life, fear filled my heart. God seemed so distant. I felt completely alone.
It was then that God placed a familiar story before me from Exodus chapter 14. It tells the story of the Israelites' escape from slavery in Egypt. Initially, Pharaoh agreed to let God's people go, but soon after they left, he changed his mind. He began to pursue them with 600 of his best chariots. The approaching army terrified the Israelites. They cried out to Moses. Moses reminded the people of God's promise that He would deliver them. But their circumstances told them otherwise. They heard the rumbling of the chariots charging toward them. They saw the huge body of water blocking their only escape.
Can you imagine their fear? The reality they knew was that Pharaoh's finest soldiers were pursuing them, and there was a huge obstacle, the Red Sea , preventing their escape. God's people had no idea the miracle awaiting them.
When Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, Scripture says, "All that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it to dry land" (Exodus 14:21). Because it was dark, the Israelites could not quite see what God was doing. In the dark of night, God tirelessly worked on behalf of His children to deliver them, just as He had promised.
It's as if the words of this story leapt off the pages of Scripture and into my dark, desolate heart. Although the Israelites could not see or hear God, He was working in the midst of their darkness. I too could not "see" or "feel" God, but He was at work around me in invisible ways -- present and active, working on my behalf to carry me through my dark place.
In the dark, we have two choices. We can take matters into our own hands, turning to drugs or alcohol to numb our pain, seeking out friends' advice, or the latest self-help book, never really knowing if any of them is the way to healing and wholeness. Or we can look to God. We can open His Word and know that He guarantees healing and wholeness.
Would you like the Truth of God's Word to come alive for you? Would you like Him to come along side of you? You need only ask. The Lord promises, "When you seek me with all your heart, you will find me." (Jeremiah 29:13).
You don't have to feel alone - seek God today!
Dear Heavenly Father, it is so difficult to walk through darkness. You feel so far away. I feel so alone. Thank You for the promise that You will never leave me or forsake me, and that there is nothing in all creation that will ever separate me from the love I have in You and in Your Son. Walk ever so closely with me during this darkness, Lord. Speak to me. Give me hope. Show me the treasures in my darkness. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
